The present invention pertains primarily to fastening or retaining devices and more particularly to bundling or retaining straps.
It has generally been the practice to manufacture certain types of bundling or retaining straps out of various plastic materials and to provide locking or securing mechanisms of some type on the plastic strap. For example, a metal tooth-like member may be provided as part of the strap assembly to help prevent the strap from backing out of its desired position. In such cases, the metal tooth-like member would engage a portion of the plastic strap in such a way that inward movement of the strap (into locking engagement) would be relatively simple. However, any efforts to remove the strap would cause the metal tooth-like member to destructively engage the plastic strap. Plastic straps of this type are commonly used in bundling light-duty electrical or telephone wires. Other plastic constructions often comprise relatively elaborate geometric locking arrangements of some type wherein resilient tabs on the plastic strap deformably slip through holes in the strap, and once forced through, the larger tabs are prevented from backing out of the smaller holes in the strap.
It has also been the practice to manufacture other types of bundling or retaining straps out of metal. However, it has usually been necessary to provide somewhat complicated locking or securing mechanisms thereon. For example, separate screw-type locking means are often provided on metal straps to secure the strap using a gear-like mechanism. Such metal straps are commonly used in securing rubber hoses on automobiles. It has also been common in lighter duty applications to provide a metal clip of some type which at least partially surrounds the metal strap and which engages the metal strap to lock it in place by preventing back-out. Often, the metal strap may be serrated so as to engage an anti-back-out device on the clip. In yet other instances, such as in package bundling operations, the metal strap and accompanying metal clip might be deformed or pierced-out in such a way as to lock them together. Needless to say, this latter method requires destruction of the strap to release the bundled package.
In both of the above-described types of constructions, namely plastic or metal, it is necessary in many instances to manufacture the straps in relatively complicated configurations so that certain geometrical relationships exist in the finished strap. In other instances, separate locking mechanisms must either be built in to the strap assembly or be added to the strap before use. This of course represents significant additional cost. In yet other cases, various tools are necessary to install or lock the strap. This also represents additional time, inconvenience, and expense.
Accordingly, it is a principle object of the present invention to provide an improved retainer strap construction which is relatively simple to manufacture, simple to use, and yet provides a secure method of holding together or supporting wires, hoses, ropes, or the like.
In general, the retainer strap according to the present invention contemplates the use of a retainer strap comprised of a head portion and a tail portion. The head portion is comprised of a section of the strap folded substantially onto itself so that two spaced-apart apertures in this portion of the strap are in substantial alignment with one another. The tail portion is adapted to be inserted through the apertures in the head portion to form a loop of adjustable size. After being looped, the retainer strap of the present invention may be placed in either a holding configuration or a locking configuration.
Additional advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the detailed description of the preferred embodiments which makes reference to the following set of drawings in which: